Michael B. Jordan Wants Black 'Superman' Movie

Earlier in February, Michael B. Jordan addressed the rumors that he could play "Superman." More recent news revealed that Jordan finally went up to Warner Bros. and pitched his vision of a Superman that is more relevant to modern audiences.

Jordan Approves of Black Superman

Jordan revealed to Oprah that he did not want to be compared to the many other different Superman reboots rather he was keen on doing something original.

The "Black Panther" star revealed that he was a comics enthusiast and would rather take on the role of a Superman that is already black in the comics. He cited Calvin Ellis from Earth 23 that debuted in the comics Final Crisis #7 in March 2009.

Jordan believed that comic book purists may accept this version more than if he jumped in as Clark Kent from Kansas. As the story goes, Black Superman is Kal-El, son of Jal-El and Lara. Krypton is destroyed, Kal-El is sent to Earth 23, becomes Superman, and later on President of the United States.

Black Adam is an ancient Egyptian that incurs powers from ancient deities with the help of wizard Shazam. Black Adam is a one-time villain in the comics, but is portrayed as a good guy in the 2021 film.

In the 2010 Shazam, Superman fought with Shazam to defeat Black Adam. Johnson was cast as earlier as 2014 and in 2016 he teased a photo on Instagram with "Man of Steel" actor Henry Cavill.

So it is true when Cavill said that he has not given up on Superman and that the cape is simply in the closet.

However, fans seem to like the version of Black Superman that is Val-Zod, a Kryptonian just like Kal-El. Val-Zod would go on to fight with the brainwashed Superman and the Parademons.

Val-Zod is actually friends with Kara Zor-El, a Kryptonian who goes by the name Supergirl. In the comic books, Val-Zod survives his parents execution, befriends orphaned Kara Zor-El, and along with Kal-El managed to survive planet Krypton's destruction.

While Kal-El was found in his capsule and raised by the Kent family, Val-Zod was found by Terry Sloane aka Mister Terrific in DC Comics and was kept in an underground shelter.

Val-Zod would stay in his capsule his entire life until he was found by the new Wonders to help them contain the brainwashed Superman.

R-Rated Superman

Jordan as Val-Zod remains to be speculations as he was only heard in public giving approval to Calvin Ellis' character. His closed meeting with Warner Bros. did not reveal what vision it was that he pitched.

However, with the success of R-rated Warner Bros. films like "Suicide Squad," "Joker," and "Birds of Prey," there are talks that Superman could go the dark route, too.

As Disney and Marvel closes its doors on R-rated comic book movies with "Deadpool" and "Logan," Warner Bros. and DC could tap into that audience, analyst Jeff Bock revealed.

Possible Director

Should Jordan's vision be made known to the public and push through, it is yet to find a script or a director.

However, since "Rise of the Skywalker" director J.J. Abrams recently signed an over $500 million deal with WarnerMedia, there have been talks that Abrams could direct "Superman."

Abrams previously had his chance when he pitched "Superman: Flyby" which failed to come to fruition. Despite his office being decorated all over with Superman action figures, Abrams kept mum about Jordan's idea of Superman, alleging discussions have not been made yet.

Black Superman in 2023

Warner Bros., J.J. Abrams, and Michael B. Jordan currently have a slew of projects. There are also appearances of "Superman" in TV series and soft reboots coming. Hence, Superman could be a saturated idea for the big screen at this point.

Some reports reveal that further talks about Black Superman could proceed sometime in 2023. Keep in mind, "Black Adam" was seven years in the making before a launch date was ever released. So while Black Superman could be a possibility, it is not in the near future.